A “military court” in the occupied north has acquitted five individuals who were facing “charges” of illegal entry into the territory and violation of a military zone, according to Turkish Cypriot media reports.
The decision was announced by the “court” today, Friday, concluding a case that began with the arrest of the group in July near the occupied town of Trikomo.
The five individuals—three men and two women—were detained while reportedly visiting their ancestral properties and faced multiple proceedings in the occupied territory’s legal system.
The “charges” of illegal entry and violation of a military zone were considered politically charged by the Republic of Cyprus, which had strongly condemned the detentions as unlawful and provocative. The arrests were widely seen as retaliation for the Republic’s prosecution of developers building unlawfully on property in the occupied north.
While all five have been acquitted of the military court charges, the legal status of the individuals is not immediately clear. Two of the group remain subject to separate proceedings in a “district court” on alleged violations of personal data and privacy laws, stemming from property-related documents they reportedly held at the time of their arrest.
The European Parliament had previously condemned the detentions and called for respect for human rights.
The story will be updated.
(Picture by Özgür Gazete)
